Overview

Although the ice climbs in the Jasper/Hinton area are not as concentrated as those along the Columbian Icefield Parkway and around Banff, there are some quality ice climbs all within an hour's drive of Jasper and Hinton. The added benefit of climbing in the Jasper/Hinton area is the there is 10% of the people, compared to the more popular (and populated) areas to the south.

Many of the climbs in the Jasper/Hinton area are characterized by longer approaches (although not always), moderate grades, and lower avalanche hazard. Joe Josephson's excellent guidebook "Waterfall Ice" can also be referenced for climbs around Jasper, Hinton, and Grande Cache.

Getting There

The town of Jasper is located approximately 4 hours drive west of Edmonton on Highway 16, while Hinton is 3 hours west. Jasper can also be accessed from the south - the town is approximately 3 hours from Banff and 4 hours from Calgary.

By comparison to Banff (the other town with in the Banff/Jasper National Park system), Jasper is quieter, less busy, and more relaxed. Jasper has a fully stocked climbing store (Gravity Gear) with knowledgable and friendly staff. Ice climbing and skiing gear can be rented here.

A day of ice climbing in Malign Canyon, followed by beers or special coffees at Jasper Park Lodge (about 5 minutes from Malign Canyon) is really hard to beat.

Red Tape

There is no red tape associated with any of the ice climbs in the Jasper/Hinton area.

Camping

There is a hostel right in the town of Jasper. In addition, there are hostels along the ice field parkway (Highway 93). Many folks also bivy in their vehicles along side the highway at the starting points of their climbs - this is tolerated.

For those with a little bigger budget, there are numerous hotels/motels to choose from in Jasper and Hinton area. This link provides additional information on camping, hotels and hostels in the Jasper Park area.

Additions and Corrections

this an area/range page on the Canadian Rockies Ice page, the idea being that gives us 3 tiers....i.e. Icefield Pkwy-Area/Range; Beauty Creek-Crag/Mountain; Shades of Beauty-Route...but do what floats your boat...cool additions from Jasper...cheers

Sorry, not sure where I went wrong. What do you want me to put Jasper Ice climbs under? It's not in the Icefield Parkway area, so I named it as a new area (Jasper Ice). Was this wrong? Please provide me with some feedback about where you think it should go.

no worries....hit "edit" for the page and change to "area/range" vs "mountain/rock" and then you will see it grouped with Ghost and Parkfield Iceway...Banff and Kananaskis need to be seperate pages too when made....then a multiple route place like Beauty Creek can be a "mountain/rock" allowing you to put actual routes on a third tier....make me co administrator if you want and I will do it and you can change back the admin status...cheers